October 16, 2010 - Susan Ivey announced that she would retire from Reynolds American Inc. after nearly 30 years in the tobacco industry. Ivey, 51, said she would retire as chairwoman on October 31, then as chief executive, president and member of the board of directors on February 28. The Reynolds board named Daniel “Daan” Delen, 44, to succeed her as president, chief executive and board member, effective January 1, 2011. The board elected Thomas Wajnert, 67, as a non-executive chairman, effective November 1, 2010 . He has been the board’s lead director since 2008. The company said that Ivey plans to move to Florida to be near family and to spend more time traveling with her husband, Russell Cameron, who is already retired. From a business perspective, the news was surprising since Ivey appeared to be in the prime of her career.

Ivey, has been chairman, president and CEO of Reynolds American since 2006. She served as RAI’s president and CEO and a member of the board of directors between 2004 and 2006. From 2001 to 2004, Ivey was president and CEO of Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. Brown & Williamson and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. combined their U.S. businessesin 2004.

Ivey will enter retirement as one of the nation’s mostly highly paid female executives. For example, her total compensation for 2009 was $16.2 million. Locally, even though Reynolds had an 18 percent loss of jobs, or about 600, during her years as chief executive, she slowed the pace of cuts, compared with the loss of 12,100 jobs from 1983 to 2004.

Analysts said they were somewhat surprised by Ms. Ivey's decision because she is a young CEO. But they said she was leaving Reynolds—the second-largest U.S. tobacco maker by sales after Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA—in good financial shape in an industry that faces declining cigarette sales and continuing scrutiny from regulators and anti-smoking groups.Graphic by Nicolas Weir, ofthe Winston-Salem Journal.. "Susan has turned Reynolds into a very good No. 2," said UBS analyst Nik Modi. "She's young, but she's had a heck of a career." Ms. Ivey, who was the first woman to run a major tobacco company, has transformed the maker of Camel and Pall Mall cigarettes by slashing its portfolio of cigarette products and reducing production costs. In 2006, she spearheaded the acquisition of Conwood Co., the maker of Grizzly moist snuff, a successful entry in the growing smokeless-tobacco category. (Reynolds American Inc. acquires Conwood..)

After ongoing evaluation, the board also decided to split the roles of chairman of the board and chief executive officer, in line with best-practice trends in corporate governance. Thomas C. Wajnert was elected non-executive chairman of RAI’s board, effective Nov. 1, 2010. Wajnert has served as the board’s lead director since 2008, serves as the chair of the board’s compensation and leadership development committee, and is a member of the corporate governance and nominating committee. He chaired the board’s audit and finance committee from 2004 to 2009.

October 15, 2010 - A ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) committee recommended not raising cigarette taxes next year after this year’s 40 percent increase because the government should examine the impact on tobacco farmers and manufacturers.

Background: “We should aim to boost the tax again next fiscal year,” Yoko Komiyama, a member of Japan’s ruling party and a leader of a group of about 70 lawmakers seeking higher cigarette levies, said in an interview in Tokyo. “The planned increase next month is just the first step and isn’t nearly enough.” (Japanese lawmakers want to triple cigarette prices..)

Komiyama said the aim should be a price of 1,000 yen (11.68 USD) a pack, which would bring Japan in line with some European countries. The government could raise the price by about 100 yen (1.17 USD) every year to allow the nation’s tobacco leaf farmers enough time to switch to other crops, Komiyama said. “A consensus is growing in the government that we have to do more to discourage things like smoking that are harmful to health,” she said in an interview on Sept. 9.

Japan Tobacco, which controls 65 percent of the domestic market, “strongly opposes” a further tax increase until the affect of the October price change is assessed, the company said in a statement on Aug. 31.

The DPJ’s fiscal panel released its tax reform proposal today, October 13th calling for a “cautious” approach in raising tobacco taxes after this month’s record increase lifted the price of a pack of cigarettes by one-third to about 410 yen ($5).The recommendations may complicate Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s efforts to increase government revenue to pay for social welfare programs. The administration is seeking to ensure economic growth while reining in the world’s largest public debt.

Japan is the fourth-largest market by volume for the world’s tobacco makers, after China, the U.S. and Russia, according to a report from U.K.-based market researcher ERC Group. The DPJ panel said Japan should consider raising cigarette taxes to the levels of Western countries in the future for health reasons.

October 15, 2010 - Omega the chimpanzee spends his days in a cage, smoking cigarette ends. Originally trained to perform tricks at a restaurant, he soon became too strong – and too unhappy – for his role, and was sent to live in a zoo in southern Lebanon.

Now 12 years old, he has not seen another chimp, or climbed a tree, in 10 years.Animals Lebanon – a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works to educate for “A better Lebanon, one animal at a time” – has taken up Omega’s cause.

The owner finally agreed to close thesmall zoo – which was damaged by the 2006 summer war with Israel – but the responsibility for re-homing the animals now rests with Animals Lebanon. Jason Mier, the NGO’s executive director hopes to find homes for some of the animals, such as the ducks, geese and rabbits locally.

It is not so easy with an adult chimpanzee, but Animals Lebanon has now found a suitable home for Omega, over 10,000 kilometers (6,213.7 miles) away, in South America. A dedicated chimpanzee reserve, The Vargem Grande Paulista Sanctuary in Sao Paulo, Brazil, has offered Omega a permanent home. The sanctuary will offer Omega a home as close to his natural environment as possible.Import and export permits have now been issued by the respective governments, and the NGO is in talks with Qatar Airways to organize Omega’s flight to Sao Paulo.They need to find a plane that can carry live animals, and then pay for the cargo – a heavy load considering Omega has to be transported in a metal cage weighing around 200 kilograms. “At $10 or $12 per kilogram, this is quite an expensive flight,” Mier added.

The NGO is asking for donations via their website animalslebanon.org to help with Omega’s safe and prompt transit to his new South American home, where he will interact with other chimpanzees for the first time in a decade.

October 15, 20010 - Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council leaders want to extend the Smoke Free Air Act, a 2002 law that banned smoking from offices, bars, restaurants in an effort to protect people from the harmful effects of secondhand exposure. (New York City officials have announced a plan to ban smoking outdoors. - see background information)

The bill introduced by Councilwoman Gale Brewer, a Manhattan Democrat, with the support of the Bloomberg administration, would ban smoking in the public parks, playgrounds, beaches and pedestrian plazas.

A New York City Council public hearing on a proposed smoking ban took place on Thursday, afterrnoon, October 14th touching on issues such as civil liberties, public health, big government and litter.

Testimony ranged from people like David Goerlitz, the former “Winston Man” who, in a press conference before the hearing, said smokers are treated like “lepers and second-class citizens,” to Joe Applebaum, a Brooklynite who equated second-hand smoke with rat poison and said smokers have “no consideration for their fellow man.”

Council member Peter F. Vallone, Jr., a Queens Democrat, who described himself as an “anti-smoking advocate,” has introduced a bill requiring that land under the jurisdiction of the City Department of Parks and Recreation that is larger than two acres must have a designated smoking area equal to at least a fifth the size of the property footprint.Backers of a ban say that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can pose health risks. Dr. Farley, New York City Health Commissioner, and other proponents, including the Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, an advocacy group, and organizations like the American Cancer Society of New York and New Jersey, also said smoking in parks sets a poor example for youth. "There is no safe level of second-hand smoke. Not inside, not outside, not anywhere,” said Dr. Maureen Killackey, Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society.

In addition to the health issue, city officials said they are also concerned about litter. They said they’ve found that 75 percent of the debris on beaches, 45 percent on playgrounds and 33 percent in parks were cigarette butts or cigarette packaging.

City Council sources told CBS 2 Marcia Kramer reporter the bill was being fast tracked and a vote is expected within a month.

October 15, 2010 - A groundswell of renters and owners are demanding smoke-free housing in multiunit dwellings, the final frontier in a fight that brought bans in workplaces, on airplanes, in restaurants and bars, on patios, near doorways, in prisons, and, just last month, in parks.

But the latest debate literally hits home, and pits tobacco users, who argue they’re consuming a legal product, against people who don’t want harmful smoke drifting into their suites through vents, hallways and windows. “It’s one of the next major health issues – I think in part because of the number of people who are now living in apartments and condos,” said Sharon Hammond, who helped launch smokefreehousingbc.ca, a website that offers advice to landlords, tenants and condominium owners.She rejects the idea that the push to restrict smoking in private residences is a matter of conflicting rights, saying it is simply an extension of the logic behind ever-tighter government restrictions on tobacco use at work and in public places.

“People are also getting used to not smelling smoke everywhere. Then they get home and think, ‘If I don’t have to smell it when I’m out, why do I have to smell it in my own home?’ ”

For the most part, governments are remaining on the sidelines, but a handful of Canadian municipalities are already curbing smoking in shared dwellings. This year, Waterloo, Ont., banned smoking for all new residents in public housing, and began offering counselling and nicotine replacement for those who want to quit. St. John’s has adopted a similar policy, and several other jurisdictions are looking at following suit.

In the United States, the limits are more widespread. In 2000, just two public housing authorities had smoke-free policies; now that number has risen to more than 200. One municipality in California has put an outright ban on smoking in all multistory, multiunit residences. Some states, including Oregon, require building managers to disclose whether smoking is allowed and where.

In Canada, there are no bans on smoking in market-rate condos and rental apartments, but an increasing number of developers are looking at building smoke-free complexes – especially those seeking the coveted green LEED certification, (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a rating system performed by a third party on how green your building is.) which puts strict limits on smoking. Ms. Hammond and other opponents of smoking say such voluntary steps, along with a disclosure law similar to that of Oregon, are their preferred short-term route to smoke-free living. The anti-smoking lobby is also hoping for regulations making new condos smoke-free unless owners vote otherwise.

Although 85 percent of people in British Columbia (B.C.) don’t smoke, and the province has more than 725,000 residential strata lots, fewer than a dozen condo complexes have outlawed smoking. Still, some are concerned about the increasing calls for smoke-free apartments. BC Civil Liberties Association president Robert Holmes says the rights of smokers must be carefully weighed against the rights of non-smokers. Even though secondhand smoke has been deemed harmful, the degree of harm must be considered, since urban life is full of dangers, from car exhaust to cologne.

Tony Gioventu says it’s not that simple. As executive director of the Condominium Home Owners Association of BC, he argues that when people buy into a condo development, they are signing away their right to do whatever they want.

U.S. District Court (for the Western District of New York) Judge Richard J. Arcara on Thursday, October 14th extended indefinitely his ban on state taxation of cigarette sales by the Seneca Nation and other Indian tribes.

But it was not a complete victory for the Senecas and their supporters.

In one of two rulings, Arcara extended a temporary restraining order that prevents the state from collecting taxes on cigarette sales by Indian-owned businesses to non-Indians. The temporary order, which the judge initially issued during the summer, had been scheduled to end today. judge initially issued during the summer, had been scheduled to end today.

Arcara said Indian tribes throughout the state would "suffer irreparable injury" if he did not extend the temporary order. He said thousands of smoke shop workers would be likely to lose jobs if the state taxation begins now. The judge also voiced concerns about public safety if he does not extend the order. He said he is concerned about the threat of violence by Indian protesters if the taxation begins.

Arcara also filed a second order in which he turned down some of the arguments that Indian tribes have presented to fight off taxation. He said lawyers for the Seneca Nation and the Cayuga Indians have "failed to demonstrate a likelihood of success" on their claims that the state taxation plan is unconstitutional.

Previous decisions in federal courts "make clear that the [Indian tribes'] right to tribal self-government is not impeded by New York's decision to impose a tax-collection duty on sales by Indian retailers to non-members," Arcara wrote, "even if that decision carries with it the inevitable consequence that the [tribes'] coffers will suffer as a result of lost cigarette sales."

While Seneca Nation leaders and protesters publicly insist that the state's taxation efforts violate Indian treaties, that argument has not been advanced by the tribe's lawyers in the litigation before him, Arcara said.

In its legal arguments, the Seneca Nation "expressly acknowledges that, as a general principle, New York State has the authority to require reservation retailers to collect excise taxes on sales to non-Indians," Arcara wrote.

"This point is significant. New York estimates that of the 10 million cartons [of cigarettes] sold last year by [Seneca] retailers, less than 70,000 were purchased by Seneca Nation members for their own personal consumption. Under [previous federal court rulings], the vast majority of sales made by reservation retailers are taxable," the judge wrote.

Arcara said he has already been informed by Seneca and Cayuga lawyers that they would appeal his ruling.

In his view, he wrote, the best course of action is to extend his temporary restraining order while a higher court hears legal arguments on the controversial case.The lawsuit filed by the Senecas and Cayugas is not the only case on the issue pending before Arcara; he has similar cases filed by the St. Regis Mohawk tribe and the Unkechauge tribe. Another case filed in Utica by the Oneida Indians is expected to be transferred to him. (New York State - tribal lawsuits may be merged within federal court..)

The bottom line, according to many court observers, is that the state could eventually succeed in its efforts to tax Indian cigarette sales, but the multiple legal challenges could block taxation for months or even years.

Pfizer said it supplied the prescription drug for about 70,000 people a month until August, but the number jumped to about 170,000 in September and the company had already supplied about 80,000 people in the first six days of October. The demand has grown far bigger than the drugmaker expected and it has asked medical institutions to postpone prescribing the drug to new patients. The company said that while it is working to increase supply, new patients may not be able to try the drug until around early next year.

The orally administered tablets block the part of the brain that receives nicotine, making it difficult for recipients to crave cigarettes, according to Pfizer. When one begins the treatment, a small dose is taken once a day. The doses are gradually increased and the medication continues for three months.

"While it was beyond my expectation that (demand for the drug) has grown this much with only an increase of about ¥100 in cigarette prices, it is troubling that I can't prescribe it to new patients," said Yoji Hirayama, a doctor at Tokyo Medical University Hospital.

October 15, 2010 - Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) will host a live audio webcast at www.pmi.com on Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. ET to discuss 2010 third-quarter results, which will be issued at approximately 7:00 a.m. ET the same day.

During the webcast, Hermann Waldemer, Chief Financial Officer, will discuss the company's 2010 third-quarter results and answer questions from the investment community and news media. The webcast will be in a listen-only mode.

An archived copy of the webcast will be available until 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, November 19, 2010 at www.pmi.com.

October 14, 2010 - KT&G Corp., Korea’s tobacco monopoly, has recently completed the construction of a plant in Russia to expand its presence in the world’s second-largest tobacco market. The company has invested $100 million in building the plant located on a 103,000 square-meter site near Moscow.

Focusing on its flagship slim cigarettes, , the plant will produce 4.6 billion cigarettes annually, KT&G said. It began operating Friday, October 8th.

Launched in 2002, Esse is the No.3 best-selling brand in the super-slim category in Russia, making up over 10 percent of the market. Between 2006 and 2009, slim cigarette sales soared 91 percent, accounting for 13 percent of the total cigarettes sold in Russia, according to Euromonitor International, a London-based market research firm. Esse is also making a strong showing in Eastern Europe, ranking third in the super-slim category in Poland and Ukraine.The construction of the Russian plant is the latest in KT&G’s efforts to expand international business and localize overseas operations. Its growing presence abroad has offset declines in domestic demand resulting from health concerns. The world’s sixth-largest tobacco company currently operates plants in Turkey and Iran.

Russia consumes nearly 400 billion cigarettes a year with about 44 percent of adults known to smoke.

October 14, 2010 - Despite intense opposition from the international tobacco industry, Australia's plan to introduce plain-wrap cigarettes is likely to be followed by other countries, the Health Minister, Nicola Roxon (Nicola.Roxon.MP@aph.gov.au) says.

But Ms Roxon said the positive reaction of ministers from other Western countries to the policy showed that the tobacco companies' campaign was based on a false premise.

She told the (Sydney Morning) Herald she had encountered "a lot of interest" from health ministers at an Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development conference (OECD) in Paris last week. A key theme of the conference was measures to reduce health costs at a time of tight government budgets. Ms Roxon said that cutting tobacco use was often raised as a solution during discussions at the conference.Representatives from Ireland, Norway, the European Union and the United States had expressed interest. "From my perspective, the broader the interest there is, the better." The tobacco companies have made clear they will fight this tooth and nail because they think if it gets through here it will be a precedent.

Ms. Roxon: "Interestingly a lot of the other countries were very quick to understand that that fight is actually a bit of a false one because a lot of them are interested anyway. It is sort of an inevitable step along a spectrum of taking action against tobacco. What I was heartened by is the potential that other countries would like to move in this direction irrespective of ours, which makes the tobacco company fight with us a little different. People were pretty gob-smacked about the amount of money the tobacco companies spent during the campaign, especially relative to the amount of money the political parties spent."

Australia has reduced the proportion of smokers in the population to 15.5 per cent and the death toll from smoking-related diseases has fallen to about 15,000 - down by about 3000 from a decade earlier.

Ms Roxon said she expected drafting of the legislation and the Health Department's assessment of the plain packaging policy to start by the end of the year.

The anti-tobacco campaigner Professor Simon Chapman, of Sydney University, said it appeared the tobacco industry was scaling down its campaign. There had been suggestions that the industry was to continue with a multimillion-dollar campaign during the football final telecasts, but this did not eventuate.

October 14, 2010 - A last-minute rush ahead of a record tobacco tax hike boosted cigarette sales in Japan by 88 percent from a year earlier to 37.4 billion sticks in September, an industry association said Wednesday October 13th.

"The sales are expected to decline in October and gradually recover. But it is difficult to predict how much they will recover because the price increases were of an unprecedented scale," he said. Japan - with tax increase in place, fewer smokers buying cigarettes so far..Japan Tobacco (JT), which dominates the country's cigarette market and in which the government has a 50 percent stake, raised prices by around 100 yen (1.2 dollars) for a pack of 20 on October 1 making some brands nearly 40 percent more expensive.

Popular brand Mild Seven rose from 300 yen to 410 yen per pack, up 37 percent.

October 14, 2010 - A scheme offering hand-outs of £50 (79.97 USD) a month to those trying to quit smoking has seen less than one in three succeed in stubbing out their habit.

NHS Tayside's Quit4U and Give It Up for Baby schemes have cost the health board more than £4.5 million (7.2 million USD) over the last five years. However, despite the huge investment, only 29 percent of those who tried to give up while being given the handouts actually kicked smoking.

New figures released in a Scottish Parliament answer show £949,000 was spent on smoking cessation in Tayside over the past four years, while a further £790,000 was spent in the region in 2006-7.

When it was launched, the TaxPayers' Alliance pressure group described it as an "extremely dubious use of taxpayers' money".

Mr Ballard said said: "The cost of treating people for smoking related diseases far outweighs the figures you have for quitting in terms of investment.

"NHS Tayside has focused its investment on the areas of Tayside which have the highest populations of smokers and these areas, without exception, are areas of high deprivation. "We are trying to help those in greatest need, so we focus our energies and investment on the most deprived."

A report found tobacco smuggling in Wales is a threat to public health as well as a loss in tax revenue to the Government. Smokers questioned over their attitudes to buying illegal and counterfeit tobacco found younger smokers more likely to buy from the illicit market in cigarettes – fuelling addiction in youngsters.

More than half (52%) of 16 to 34-year olds admitted buying cheap tobacco compared to 41% of 35 to 54-year-olds, and 36% of the over 55’s.

Back on August 18, 2008 ASH Wales survey found similar results from a survey of 100 underage smokers (average age is just 14). (Wales - still easy for youngsters to buy cigarettes..Some 68% of smokers quizzed were more interested in cost than where their cigarettes come from.

Tanya Buchanan, chief executive of ASH Wales, said: “Smuggled tobacco is a bigger issue in more socially disadvantaged areas and this evidence further supports that. Smoking prevalence rates are already much higher in these areas and are already creating significant ill health for residents.

Unfortunately, this evidence also means that measures to protect children from accessing age restricted tobacco products are being undermined by tobacco smuggling.

“It is vital that the Welsh Assembly Government’s tobacco control action plan being drafted addresses tobacco smuggling and that they work closely with the UK government on this issue. “We need a coordinated multi-agency approach to tackle large scale organised smuggling.

Enacted July 1, 2007..October 14, 2010 - MP (member of parliament) David Nuttall (NuttallBuryNorth@aol.com) failed in his attempt to permit landlords to decide for themselves whether to allow smoking in their pubs. Mr. Nuttall's bill was defeated by 141 votes to 86.

David Nuttall, the new Conservative MP for Bury North, wants to overturn the smoking ban by introducing a Commons Early Day Motion. Nuttall: landlords should be allowed to decide for themselves whether to allow smoking in their pubs. Mr Nuttall said the legislation was partly responsible for the closure of dozens of pubs in his constituency.

Mr Nuttall's bill would exempt pubs and social clubs from the ban, allowing landlords and licensees to have dedicated smoking lounges for drinkers complete with smoke filters. "I'm a devout non-smoker and wouldn't want to go back to the days when people were eating a meal and had smoke blown into their faces," said Mr Nuttall. He added: "We do want to add an element of freedom of choice."

Hakim Sorimuda Pohan, from the Coalition Against Corruption of the Anti-Tobacco Clause (Kakar) and a delegate to the APACT, said the government should urgently address this matter. He added that it was the first time in the history of the APACT that the conference’s final declaration included a call for a nation to sign the FCTC.

The declaration was backed by 700 delegates from 41 countries who attended the conference from October 6-9, 2010.

“This is very embarrassing for Indonesia not to have signed the convention, while other Asian countries have already ratified it,” Hakim said. “By failing to sign it, we’re protecting the tobacco industry rather than the health of our own people.”He warned that if Indonesia did not sign the FCTC soon, it would be “excluded from international society, and we don’t want to be an isolated country.”

Harley Stanton, the APACT president, said, “We are deeply concerned that in failing to accede to the FCTC, Indonesia is creating a public health disaster.“Indonesia’s tobacco-related death toll is more than 200,000 a year. More than 60 percent of Indonesian men smoke.” He said more and more Indonesian children were also smoking, with a 400 percent increase in smoking among 5 to 9 year olds.

Cigarettes sell for about a dollar a packet in Indonesia, where 60 percent of men are estimated to smoke along with a "disturbing" number of children, according to the Asia Pacific Association for the Control of Tobacco (APACT).

Finance ministry official Agus Supriyanto told Dow Jones Newswires the excise level was likely to rise five percent on average next year in what is the world's fifth-largest tobacco market. Customs chief Thomas Sugijata said the increase would help meet the country's excise revenue target of 60.7 trillion rupiah (6.8 billion dollars) -- up four trillion rupiah (448 trillion dollars).

But he said the final excise rate had still to be decided and was subject to discussion with the industry, which employs millions of people in the archipelago. "We're still discussing the rate increase and will ask for input from industry, but we can promise that the increase will be moderate," Sugijata said.

For 2010 the government aimed to reduce cigarette production to 240 billion sticks from 245 billion last year.

The current excise level per cigarette ranges from 65 to 320 rupiah (0.007 to 0.035 dollars).

October 13, 2010 - The European Commission is preparing to introduce legislation in 2011 to ban smoking in public places right across the union. (The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union.)

While partial or total smoking bans have been introduced in many European countries ending patrons' ability to smoke in bars, cafes and other public venues, it is still relatively easy in some states to find a bolt-hole where smokers are welcome, whether due to exceptions to such laws or owners flouting the bans.

Health commissioner John Dalli (responsible for Health and Consumer Policy) has said he wants to put a stop to this.

Announcing that Brussels is currently preparing a bill to be brought forward next year, he said that exceptions should no longer be tolerated, as the matter "is not only about the health of visitors, but also the employees."

In Belgium for example, home to the EU executive, patrons can still light up in cafes so long as the establishment does not serve food, while the Greek health minister last Wednesday admitted the effective failure of its 2009 smoking ban, saying that undercover inspections revealed that eight out of 10 bars openly flouted the law.

The EU bill may also attempt to reduce the amount of nicotine and other toxic substances contained in the product.

The commission will furthermore try to win agreement on rules making tobacco products no longer visible to customers and make packaging as unattractive as possible. The packets are to be made identical in appearance and to bear colourful warning pictures, such as of diseased lungs, as well as more information on the toxins the product contains.

"The more uniform and bland packaging the cigarettes are, the better," said the commissioner.

Within the frame work of the provisioned regulation, oriental tobacco blends may be totally banned as the organization aims to stop “input material” in cigarette production. If the regulation is approved in November, Turkish tobacco exporters will be facing a serious threat. Turkey is the chief cultivator and exporter of the type of tobacco known as oriental tobacco, according to the statement.

Turkey’s tobacco production constitutes 4 percent of global production of 7 million tonnes, placing Turkey fifth after China, India, United States of America and Brazil. The world cigarette market is in general based on blended cigarettes, which include a certain amount of oriental-type tobacco. About 65 percent of oriental tobacco is produced in Turkey, 25 percent in Greece and 10 percent in Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia. Production of Virginia and Burley tobacco amounts to little more than 3 percent (8 000 tonne) of total tobacco production in Turkey.

It is felt that tobacco growers and workers should be involved at every stage of policy development and implementation. WHO’s decision to present final guidelines for adoption by the 171 member countries of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) at a meeting to take place in Uruguay in November 2010.The guidelines for FCTC articles 9 and 10, would ban the use of ingredients other than tobacco in cigarette production. These ingredients are necessary in the manufacture of blended tobacco products, composed primarily of Burley and Oriental tobacco, which account for more than half the cigarettes smoked in the world, outside China. Without them, farmers of Burley and Oriental would see demand for their crops disappear. The recommendations for articles 17 and 18 are meant to provide viable crop alternatives to tobacco growing, but fail to present economically feasible options for tobacco farmers. The proposal risks decimating growers’ livelihoods, condemning millions to a life of poverty and crippling the economies of many developing countries - the very same countries the WHO is funded to help.